Roamin’ Chariots
Newsletter
Fall 2009
Oklahoma City Collectors Car Auction
By Ron Conlon
In mid-summer I was asked to
help prepare Jim Chandler’s 1967 Lancia Flaminia for Rocky Santiago’s collector car auction. The plan was to go onto the sale site on
Friday morning and leave the car for viewing after a good cleanup. So off we went with two cars and a detailing
kit. Decent cars were everywhere. This was a good car show even without the
auctioneer. I polished spokes, glass and
paint as Jim hustled the sale and worked the interior. It was an energetic workout and the car
gleamed. Rocky himself seemed the most interested in purchasing it for another
client. The car stood out as the only Lancia and one of the very few foreign examples.
On Saturday Jim had
purchased a prime time early afternoon spot.
I found myself hanging about the car wiping a clean spot and offering
what little I knew about Lancias to the
interested. I also wandered among the
cars choosing my favorites and/or the ones that I
possibly could afford. Bids were not
strong and there were a lot of no sales and none that I saw that made the
reserve. Those that sold were often 2/3s
the expected. The Lancia
sold to Rocky’s client off the phone. Jim was pleased enough. I had a fun day.
I
must admit shedding a virtual tear at seeing this car go to another owner. I guess I am not a buy and sell
collector. Jim has already set his
sights on the other projects in his corral and can be seen working away on
weekends, as usual, in front of his garage.
Finding a place for Fiat in
a local club.
By Ron Conlon
A
local Norman club has developed through the efforts of a few enthusiastic
organizers. They meet regularly on
Saturday mornings for coffee and car talk.
They are called the Canadian River Cruisers and were a big part of a
recent local cruise night and fundraiser.
I naturally had to pay them a visit.
Everything and anything is welcome.
My Fiat was well received. The
cars are Model-T area to hot rods and muscle cars with a few European sports
cars. This is good stuff and the
contacts will be undeniably useful. My Saturdays are usually busy but I hope to
make every third meeting.
I
now know that this type of generic group can be very pleasant and do recommend
finding one in your area. The relaxed
organization and no dues appeal to a lot folks who just want a reason to get
out with their collectable cars. Our Fiats would fall in with the later model
cars but were a very modern design of the middle 60’s. Other members eventually
checked out the car with all the curiosity of the well informed and I could see
how the vintage looks and practicality grew on them. Many have seen me driving
this car on a regular basis and liked that it can easily handle high-speed
interstate touring and daily use. Of the sports cars only the Mercedes SL and
big Healey could match it in usability but they are in a very different price
range. One major advantage to these
events is my unlimited access to the cars and owners. How often can we get an expert to show you
around a Berkley or a nice Studebaker?
The latest
news is that Dave Saunders has found a nice green 1978 Fiat spider. He looks like a cat that swallowed the canary
as he drives around town in it. It is
mostly original and he will keep it this way.
Norman car show
By Ron Conlon
There was a good show at the Postal Training Center this summer and 4 Roamin’ Chariots showed up. Jim Wagner, Delmer Teet, Brady Oberman and Ron Conlon parked among the hot rods and usual mix of show cars.
Fall Ron 09
By Ron Conlon
November 20 on a Friday was my travelling day. It was cloudy and cool as fall should be with a feeling of rain to come. I headed east off the interstate toward Western Hills Ranch in Sequoya State Park near Tulsa, Oklahoma. The further east and north I drove, the harder it rained. This was no top-down journey. By Muskogee, the road puddles became an issue and something to avoid but it was daylight and traffic was not heavy. I found the park and saw deer and plenty of space. The ranch resort was very good and not busy on this day. So I registered, had a coffee and sat down to take in the surroundings and wait for the first arrivals. The staff was not busy and chatted happily to me and amongst themselves. This wass a good sign. My cabin was clean and quiet with a morning sunrise view of the lake and the many water fowl. I took to the walking paths in a cool drizzle and returned an hour later with wet feet to find the Loflands and Wagners pulling under the canopy.
By the time Saturday morning dawned, we had 5 Spiders and 8 participants around a breakfast table: Ron, Toly, Jim, Debbie, Allen, Lyn, Clark and Kent. So far the resort was perfect. Saturday was dry but cloudy and warm enough to drop the tops. I had promised a good run and hoped to deliver. I had use Google Maps to choose the road but reality could be much different.
Highway 80 south of Hulbert is a wild snake of two lane blacktop that runs along the eastern shore of Fort Gibson Lake for about 25 miles to a dam. It rises over and around small rolling hills hugging the lakeshore and servicing the cottages and rural inhabitants. So traffic is light and speeds are indicated at 50mph for the straighter sections. Toly was my navigator for the first section. His banter about all worldly things would always drift back to cars and always entertain. We saw little traffic and perfect driving conditions but for some loose pebbles that kept the cars well spaced since they could flip up at any time. We reached the dam and how do you top that drive? Well, you go back in the other direction. The two couples split off to find a flea market in Wagoner and we tested our metal once again from the other direction. This time Toly drove Kent’s twin carbureted 1800 spider with Woa brakes. I kept a close watch for those pesky deer.
It was such a good weekend. The weather improved throughout. The resort food was fine and the driving road was one of the best for quick corners and good surface. Drive home on Sunday was open all the way and comfortable with a bit of heat on in the cockpit.
Events
No official winter dinner this year
Hallett Vintage races in March/ April 2010
MOFLO June 11-12-13, 2010
Executive: Mike Greer, John Williams, Lyn Lofland
Website: http://moflo.org/